Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

He is a *collections manager*.

What kind of job is that and why is there an s at the end?

Thanks

[bud]

This is another case where it makes sense either as singular or plural. When plural, the logic behind the sentence is referring to individual collections. When singular, the reference is to the general concept of collecting. In practical usage, they mean the same thing.

A collections manager works at collecting past-due bills from customers. Since "manager" is part of the job title, it could be that he/she runs a department of bill collectors, but doesn't do the collecting himself. It depends on the company.